Thread: Illegal immigration won't be solved by Virginia's top execut

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Illegal immigration won't be solved by Virginia's top executive
BY ANDREA HOPKINS
Opinion Page Editor
Bristol Herald Courier
Sunday, October 30, 2005


Someone moved the border.

That’s the logical explanation for a Virginia Republican Party mailer featuring an unflattering photo of Tim Kaine against a backdrop of barbed wire and scrub brush, apparently meant to depict the U.S./Mexico border. The mailer was delivered to homes in our region last week.

The glossy, green postcard is the latest low blow in an election not distinguished by elevated discourse. It is loaded with inflammatory language. Kaine, it says, "supports using our tax dollars to subsidize illegal immigrants," supports giving "illegal immigrants in-state tuition discounts" and supports funding "job centers where they can meet to find jobs." The dreaded label, "liberal," appears four times.

THE HARSH anti-immigrant rhetoric is disheartening but not surprising. The national debate on immigration frequently reduces a complicated matter to sound bites filled with demagoguery, fear and hatred. But this isn’t Texas, Arizona or New Mexico; Virginia is hundreds of miles from the border. The issue here is more a matter of economics than safety.

Most reasonable people agree border security needs a tune-up – who wants there to even be a possibility of al-Qaida operatives sneaking across the border –but it’s going to take congressional or presidential action to do it. The border can’t be shored up from the Virginia executive’s mansion.

However, in this last-minute sprint to the polls, details don’t matter. Winning is the real concern.

The illegal immigration issue first reared its head here weeks ago as the candidates postured over a publicly funded day laborer center in Herndon – a Washington D.C. suburb. The center, approved not by state leaders, but by the Herndon Town Council, is supposed to provide a safe, central place for day workers to congregate while waiting for employers to hire them. Right now, the immigrants – some in the country legally, some not – gather in a convenience store parking lot, where they have become a nuisance.

Town leaders didn’t decide to spend $150,000 on the day laborer center on a whim. The center emerged as the best solution to a complicated local matter. The leaders who made the decision deserve respect, not second-guessing.

PREDICTABLY, Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore took a strong stand against the Herndon center. Kilgore, taking points from national right-wingers, adopted a posture that can be summed up simply: Illegal immigrants bad.

Kaine, the Democratic candidate, and independent Russell Potts, a centrist Republican, pronounced the Herndon center a local matter and took two steps to the side of this political hot potato.

The debate ignores economic realities. The immigrants are gathering in Herndon because the employers are hiring. Construction and agriculture rely heavily on immigrant workers. That’s true in Northern Virginia and here in the mountains, where immigrants pick strawberries, harvest Christmas trees and help with the tobacco crop.

The thorny issues surrounding immigration deserve a thorough national debate, but they won’t be solved by trotting out angry rhetoric to stir up voters.

THIS LATEST smarmy political attack piece didn’t come from the Kilgore campaign. The state’s Republican Party did the dirty work, noting only that the mailer is "intended to benefit Kilgore."

Whether it benefits Kilgore is anyone’s guess. Virginia residents don’t rank illegal immigration as a top concern. Instead, roads, schools, the state budget and taxes are on their minds.

Most middle-of-the-road folks in our region express similar concerns. They want to know how their elderly neighbor will pay to heat her home this winter. They want to know why gasoline prices are so high. They want to know whether their child’s teacher will get a raise. They want to know whether they will one day be forced to pay tolls to drive on Interstate 81.

Illegal immigration simply isn’t on their radar screen. The politicians would do well to take note.

Andrea Hopkins is opinion editor of the Bristol Herald Courier. She may be reached at ahopkins@bristolnews.com or (276) 645-2534.

They want to know if their teacher's are going to get a raise? Really?!?!?!

Well, they won't until you stop over-flooding the schools with illegal immigrants. There's not enough money to build all these schools AND give teacher's a raise.

They want to know if they can afford heating oil this winter? Really?!?!?!

Well, you won't be able to until you stop over-flooding our economy and energy resources with illegal immigrants. There's not enough money to heat your home and millions of illegal immigrants' too.

They want to know if they're going to get new roads? Really?!?!?!?!

Well, you won't get new without spiking the national debt when illegal immigrants are crowding the roads, your space, creating new populations the size of small and medium sized cities in every state every single year.

They want to know if they're going to have to pay a toll to get on Interstate 81 and more taxes? Really?!?!?!?!?!

Yep....you sure are and will because the USA is Broke Folks thanks to illegal immigration flooding the nation with more people than it can sustain.

It's just simple mathematics.

WE all knew it in the 60's. We all knew it in the 70's. WE all knew it in the 80's. WE all knew it in the 90's. WE all knew it when we entered the Millienium.

Nothing's changed. It's simple mathematics. Economic growth based upon population instead of production is a downward spiral to a Third World Existence.

So wonder away....debate away......consider those "complicated issues".....of breaking federal law that has been in existence for decades to prevent what is now happening because politicians broke their Oath to Uphold American Law and Protect American Citizens from this Infinite Predicted Disaster.

WELL, GAG ME! THAT was the MOST disgusting article I've read in a long time. Is this woman living in a time warp? A VACUUM? To say that "Illegal immigration just is not on their radar screen" indicates her stupidity. She is out of touch with reality. Why does this woman think there was such a HUGE outcry after the Herndon day labor center was proposed??? Where does she LIVE??? She actually states that the ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION issue FIRST reared its ugly head WEEKS ago when the day labor center funded by TAX DOLLARS was proposed.
WEEKS AGO? WHERE has this woman been? She might want to catch up on her reading and see that this issue "reared its ugly head" YEARS ago when the American people started waking up to the reality of what kinds of problems these illegals create in MANY STATES.

I am left speechless from her claims that the residents of Virginia are more concerned with roads, taxes, state budgets, etc. Is she completely unable to CONNECT THE DOTS? WHO does she think is responsible for the drain on their state budget?? In her zeal to discredit the politicians who are trying to address this issue, has she not taken the time to investigate how much these illegals are sapping the taxpayer dollars?

THIS WOMAN BELONGS IN THE LOONY BIN.

Bootsie says "This woman belongs in the looney bin".

Yes...and the Recycle Bin too!

Lord no, Judy. We SURE don't want to recycle the idiot. She might come back as a smashed resemblance of her former self. Let's just let her stew in the loony bin where she will find plenty of company that will share her blinded view of the problem!

Illegal immigration simply isn’t on their radar screen. The politicians would do well to take note.

Relatives outside Richmond tell me indeed illegal immigration is on their radar. What was once a quiet, peaceful, beautiful area is now being overrun by illegals.

One mentioned talk of changing the state motto to "Virginia is for Illegals" which, of course, won't work because NC's got dibs on that one!

I ger the exact same report from my closest friend who lives in Richmond and works for the Court Systems. She says they see TONS of Hispanics going through the Courts so it is DEFINITELY on their radar screen. NO QUESTION about it.

Originally Posted by Judy

They want to know if their teacher's are going to get a raise? Really?!?!?!

Well, they won't until you stop over-flooding the schools with illegal immigrants. There's not enough money to build all these schools AND give teacher's a raise.

They want to know if they can afford heating oil this winter? Really?!?!?!

Well, you won't be able to until you stop over-flooding our economy and energy resources with illegal immigrants. There's not enough money to heat your home and millions of illegal immigrants' too.

They want to know if they're going to get new roads? Really?!?!?!?!

Well, you won't get new without spiking the national debt when illegal immigrants are crowding the roads, your space, creating new populations the size of small and medium sized cities in every state every single year.

They want to know if they're going to have to pay a toll to get on Interstate 81 and more taxes? Really?!?!?!?!?!

Yep....you sure are and will because the USA is Broke Folks thanks to illegal immigration flooding the nation with more people than it can sustain.

It's just simple mathematics.

That is the facts of the issue that no one really touches in any detailed manner. Why won't they sit down and come up with the numbers that illegal immigration is costing us as a nation? Does it scare them? I think they know that they will be forced into doing something immediately.

Our tax and economic system is designed to handle the LEGAL CITIZENS, not all of the pirating illegals!

Our state of Colorado does see this and that is why they are trying to shove referendums C & D down our throats.

Don't let the state steal your money!

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

Through there stinking tea into the bay...

You're absolutely right, rakishoner. We NEVER see REAL figures about the cost the illegals are imposing on our systems. I HAVE contacted the State of North Carolina and requested those statistics and all they sent was a pitiful little breakdown of SOME medical expenses. That was NOT what I requested--I asked for ALL of the costs--education, health care, prison and court systems--the WORKS and that was all I got. My guess is that they don't HAVE anymore statistics and they don't WANT any statistics that would show the TAXPAYING CITIZENS of my state exactly how much we are being hoo-dooed by these illegals. They might actually be forced into ACTING--a word that doesn't appear to be in the vocabulary of our state representatives or Governor. Of course, you could carry that right on up to the federal level as well. It is truly a disgrace.

You won't get any better response from your county's Dept of Social Services! They have to know or at least have an educated estimate but aren't sharing with taxpayers who are paying the tab. Job security I guess.